PROVISUR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

In an embodiment, an apparatus for processing meat product and a method of using same is provided. A first station includes a flattener which is configured to flatten a meat product, and a scanner which is configured to scan features of the meat product after flattening. A second station is configured to dock front and rear ends of the meat product in accordance with information received from the scan of the features.

A method for formatting food products on a conveyor device includes a) receiving the food products in a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks, some of which include product gaps; b) outputting the food products into the parallel conveyor tracks in a specific product format; c) detecting the product supply in the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side individually for each of the conveyor tracks; and d) filling the product gaps in the conveyor tracks with food products, so that on the output side all of the parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products. The product gaps are also filled with food products from a product buffer in that at least one of the food products is transferred from the product buffer to the conveyor track only when an odd number of product gaps exist in one of the conveyor tracks.

The invention concerns a conveyor system ( 2 ) for formatting slice-shaped food products in product stacks. The conveyor system ( 2 ) comprises an inlet ( 4 ), a lower product conveyor ( 8 ), an upper product conveyor ( 7, 9 ), a vertically swivelling distributor conveyor ( 6 ) for distributing the incoming food products selectively to the lower product conveyor ( 8 ) or to the upper product conveyor ( 7, 9 ), an output conveyor ( 10 ) receiving the food products partially stacked from the lower prod-uct conveyor ( 8 ) and the upper product conveyor ( 7, 9 ), and an outlet ( 11 ) for outputting the stacked food products in product rows. The invention provides that the individual conveying tracks ( 6 G, 6 H) of the distributor conveyor ( 6 ) can be swivelled vertically independently of one another in order to forward the incoming food products individually for each conveying track selectively to the lower product conveyor ( 8 ) or to the upper product conveyor ( 7, 9 ). The invention also includes a corresponding operating method.

A grinding machine for grinding food-products, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly, including a separator screw, separation chamber, metering auger, and metering cone, is located downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The metering auger is fixedly coupled to a distal end of the separator screw and has a reduced diameter relative to the separator screw. The metering auger advances in a downstream direction the hard material of the mixture of soft material and hard material. The metering cone includes an internal conical portion and a metering passageway formed therein, where the metering auger is in communication with the metering passageway, and where a selected diameter of the metering auger defines an amount of the hard material that is advanced in the downstream direction through the metering passageway toward a discharge end.

A conveyor system includes a frame, a plurality of rollers, a driving mechanism, a plurality of endless belts, and a lifting assembly. The plurality of rollers is rotatably attached to the frame. The driving mechanism is configured to rotate the plurality of rollers. The plurality of endless belts surrounds the plurality of rollers. The lifting assembly includes a plurality of surface and an actuator. The actuator is configured to move the plurality of surfaces between a raised position disposed above the plurality of belts and a lowered position disposed below the plurality of belts.

A food article slicing machine includes a food article loading apparatus with a lift tray assembly for moving food articles from a staging position to an elevated position at a beginning of a food article feed path, a food article feed apparatus disposed over the food article loading apparatus having an upper conveyor assembly with an independently driven endless conveyor belt used in cooperation with a food article gripper for moving the food articles along the food article feed path, a food article stop gate that forms part of the food article feed path and opens to drop food article end portions, and a slicing station at an end of the food article feed path with a knife for slicing the food articles.

A grinding machine for grinding food-products, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly, including a separator screw and separation chamber, is located downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. A ring adjustment assembly includes a ring valve having an internal conical portion in communication with a nose portion of the separator screw, and a ring valve carrier configured to reciprocally displace the ring valve in an axial direction relative to the separator screw so as to vary a gap between the nose portion of the separator screw and the internal conical portion of the ring valve. Adjustment of the gap distance determines an amount of the hard material that is passed toward the discharge outlet.

In an embodiment, a form press includes three die assemblies which form press a meat product along the height, width and length thereof. Each die assembly includes a single proportional directional valve which operates a hydraulic cylinder under control of a controller. The three die assemblies are first operated under position control, and are thereafter operated under force/position control. The form press has a single hydraulic circuit which operates the die assemblies.

A food log slicing apparatus includes a base, a frame mounted on the base, a loaf tray, a drive assembly, a shear bar and a slicing station mounted on the frame. The loaf tray and the shear bar are divided into a plurality of side-by-side lanes, each of which are configured to receive multiple food logs stacked in a column. Each lane has a base wall on which a lowest one of the food logs rests which is angled relative to horizontal ground. The drive assembly moves the food logs from the loaf tray to the shear bar and into the slicing station. The slicing station has a driven blade which is parallel to a planar downstream face of the shear bar, and cuts all of the food logs as the blade passes through the food logs.

A separating machine separates a food source material into first and second food portions. A separating arrangement includes a roller assembly and a belt assembly including a belt to be driven by the roller assembly. The separating arrangement includes a drum assembly arranged proximate to the belt assembly to define a separation area. The separating arrangement includes an inlet assembly configured to receive the food source material and a feeding wheel assembly positioned proximate to or within the inlet assembly and configured to direct the food source material into the separation area. The belt assembly is arranged relative to the belt assembly such that the food source material is pressed by the belt against the outer surface of the drum and the first food portion is pressed through the holes while the second food portion remains outside of the drum interior, thereby separating the first and second food portions.